W.H. political team stumbles, bumbles — They toppled Hillary Clinton, crushed John McCain and managed to get the first black man elected president of the United States. — But now a series of recent missteps just keeps getting worse for Barack Obama's political operation …

Romanoff: W.H. suggested three jobs — Colorado U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff confirmed Wednesday that Jim Messina, President Barack Obama's deputy chief of staff, had suggested three administration jobs that would be available to him if he dropped his plans to run against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet …

American, 19, Among Gaza Flotilla Dead — Furkan Dogan Was Shot Five Times, Including Four Times in Head — A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today.

Erdogan and the Decline of the Turks — When I asked the prime minister about stories alleging a U.S.-Israeli murder and organ selling scheme in Iraq, he could not bring himself to condemn them. — Israeli special forces and their commanders were apparently shocked to find their boarding attempt …

TRENDING: Bush: No regrets for waterboarding — (CNN) - In some of his most candid comments since leaving the White House, former President George W. Bush said Wednesday he has no regrets about authorizing the controversial waterboarding technique to interrogate terrorist suspects and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

Balls — See if you can find the person in this video with balls: — Paul Brasel — KeninMontana said it best, “That kid has balls that CLANK solid steel.” Good on him. — Robert Mahoney — I am glad the picture said it all. I frankly don't have 7 minutes and 19 seconds to waste on idiots.

Female Gov Hopeful Faces 2nd Sex Claim — Woman running for SC governor bashing claim of another affair made by accuser with no proof — A South Carolina lobbyist resigned from a rival political campaign on Wednesday and then became the second man to claim he had a tryst …

Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill? No Way, U.S. Says — The chatter began weeks ago as armchair engineers brainstormed for ways to stop the torrent of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico: What about nuking the well? — Decades ago, the Soviet Union reportedly used nuclear blasts …

Obama Points a Finger at GOP — PITTSBURGH—President Barack Obama, facing political heat from both right and left over his response to the Gulf oil spill, blasted Republicans on Wednesday for what he said was a loosening of regulations on industry at the public's expense.

Statehouse Picture Slowly Emerging — Larry J. Sabato, Director, U.Va. Center for Politics — There's now no question that the gubernatorial turnover in November will be historic, with half or more of the states electing new governors (see our previous article on the subject here).

The Times to Host Political Polling Site FiveThirtyEight — The New York Times said Thursday that it would begin hosting the popular blog FiveThirtyEight and make its founder, Nate Silver, a regular contributor to the newspaper and the Sunday magazine. — Mr. Silver, a statistical wizard …

Data Used to Justify Health Savings Effort Is Sometimes Shaky — In selling the health care overhaul to Congress, the Obama administration cited a once obscure research group at Dartmouth College to claim that it could not only cut billions in wasteful health care spending but make people healthier by doing so.

BP paid for agency officials' trips, meals — BP and others in the oil and gas industry have paid for dozens of trips and meals for officials at federal agencies deeply involved in Washington's response to the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill. — A review by The Hill of gift reports …

GOP senator criticizes anti-tax pledge — Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio) said the anti-tax pledge signed by his fellow Republicans conflicts with their responsibility as lawmakers to deal with the country's $13 trillion debt problem. — “I think that a lot of my colleagues have taken the pledge …

We got the president we elected — Editor's note: Gloria Borger is a senior political analyst for CNN, appearing regularly on CNN's “The Situation Room,” “AC360°” and “State of the Union,” as well as participating in special event coverage. — Washington (CNN) — The news about Al …

Housing Double Dip a Done Deal — Everybody take a nice long look at today's Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors, because it's just about the last positive picture we're going to see for a while. — Yes, the index rose even more than expected …